Method of reducing zinc ore and the product obtained thereby



Aug'` 26, 1 930. E. c. GAsKlLL METHOD 1.0!'l REIUGING ZINC ORE AND THE- PRODUCT OBTAIED THEREBY Filed nec. 17, 192e INVENTOR'.

@4f/Mmm Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED- s'ra'rasl EARL C. GASKILL, OF BED BANK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGTTOR TO ST. JOSEPH LEAD C OMl PATENT OFFICE PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD or REDUGING zINc ORE AND THE PRODUCT OBTAINED rnnnnny l Application led December 17,'19126. Serial No. 155,471.

This invention relates generally to the electric reduction of zinc ore and more particularly to the direct production of metallic zinc by the smelting of loose ore in furnaces of the electric resistor type.

It is well known and has been the standard practice for a long period oftime to reduce zinc ore by a distillation process vwhich comprises the heating of small batches of ore in clay retorts in order to produce vaporization of the zinc content thereof and the subsequent condensing of the zinc vapors in relatively small condensing chambers attached tol the mouths of the retorts.

This practice, although it has gone into universal and extensive use, is open to the objection that it is costly to carry out because of the great expense of labor involved in attending to the small batch type retorts and" also because of the expense involved in replacing the retorts which are easily broken.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a process for the reduction of zinc ore and the directv production of metallic zinc with little or no passing of the zinc through an intermediate vapor stage as it is converted from the oxide, or .other form in which it exists in the ore, to the form of metal y or spelter.

I have found inthe course of experiments carried on for the purpose of invention that by heating a column of loose zinc ore intermixed with carbonaceous material by passing v through the column an electric current, the

zinc content of the ore can be converted directly into metallic zinc which issues from the bottom of the furnace withouthaving to pass hrougha specially built condensing cham- A suitable apparatus for carrying out this process 'is shown in the single dia rammatic view which constitutes a drawing i lustrating the invention.

Referring to the drawing a furnace 10 of ber o the furnace.y T 's furnace structure the core or 'cham.

follows in a general way that shown in my prrior application, Serial No. 148,801, filed ovember 17, 1926. v The furnace is constructed of suitable material to retain the heat developed therein and 'is preferably equipped at its upper end with a ture being somewhat lower than that to which thematerial is subjected in the superheater 14 in order not to injure metal parts.

A gate or valve 17 is operated by a motor not shown which is in turn controlled by elec trodes 18 to automatically feed material through the passage 19 into the.v upper end of the superheater 14 when the level of material has fallen below the upper of the two electrodes 18.y A hinged cover-plate 20 is provided at the `upper end of the furnace shaft through which access may be had to the furnace chamber for any purpose.

The lower end of the furnace structure is provided with a cooling chamber 21 which may be 'formed of a simple metal cylinder in which the contents are cooled by the contact of air with-the external surface of the cylinder. If desired, a watercooling jacket may be applied to the member 21 as will be clear.

The lower end of the cooling lchamber 21 delivers material to the upper surface of a perforated lend of a s allow receptacle 23 in which molten metal contained in the material issuing from the cooling'chamber .21 finds its way. The receptacle 23 is mounted on the upper end of a rotatable shaft 24 and it will be, seen that material deposited on the upper plate 22 is subjected to a separating operation by which the molten metallic contentpasses into the 'receptacle 23 and through an late 22, which closes the upperv ture at which the zinc ore is reduced to metal v but below the temperature at which the vmetal is substantially vaporized, and separating the liquid metallic zinc and solid residue thereby' produced.

2. A process for producing metallic zinc directly from ore which comprises heating a. mixture of sintered zinc ore .and carbonaceous material, by means of an electric currentv passed therethrou h, to a temperature at which the zinc ore 1s reduced to metal but be low the temperature at which the metal is substantially vaporized, and separatingA the liquid metallic zinc and solid residue thereby produced.

. EARL C. GASKILL.A 

